Sheffield

Sheffield's population grew in the 10 years leading up to 2011. Data from the census also show there were changes in health, religion and ethnicity.

The population passed 550,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of Sheffield increased by 7.7%, from about 513,000 to 553,000.

The addition of about 39,000 people means this area's population increased at a similar rate to the overall population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Sheffield was home to, on average, 11 people per football pitch-sized piece of land. This made it Yorkshire and The Humber's second-most densely-populated district.

Population density was higher than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Yorkshire and The Humber, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

A younger Sheffield

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Sheffield decreased by one year, from 37 to 36 years.

This city had a lower average age than Yorkshire and The Humber and became somewhat younger than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The fall in age was because of an increase of about 19,000 people between the ages of 20 and 29 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by about 7,000.

About 17% of people in Sheffield are aged between 20 and 29 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Sheffield by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

Sheffield saw England's third-largest fall in the proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

Every local authority area across Yorkshire and The Humber saw a fall in the proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad, as the regional average fell from 10% to 6.0%.

In 2011, just under 1 in 16 (6.2%) in Sheffield said their health was bad or very bad, compared with 11% in 2001. The percentage that perceived their health as good or very good increased from 65% to 80%.

England's largest decrease in the proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad occurred in Barnsley (from 14% to 8.4%) followed by Manchester (from 13% to 7.1%).

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Sheffield decreased by 5.1 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Sheffield, Yorkshire and The Humber and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Sheffield

The number of people in Sheffield that described themselves as Christian decreased from just over 350,000 in 2001 to about 290,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 69% to 53% of the local population.

The percentage decreased by more than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber (from 73% to 60%) and the average across England (from 72% to 59%).

The number of people in Sheffield that described themselves as having no religion increased from about 92,000 in 2001 to just over 170,000 in 2011 (from 18% to 31%). The number of people who described themselves as Muslim increased from about 24,000 to about 43,000 (from 4.6% to 7.7%).

About 38,000 people (7.8%) did not state their religion, down from about 40,000 in 2001 (6.8%).

The population who identified as Christian in Sheffield decreased by 16 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Sheffield by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Sheffield

Sheffield saw Yorkshire and The Humber's largest rise in the proportion of people who aren't limited by a long-term health problem or disability.

In 2011, just under 9 in 10 (90%) in Sheffield reported not being limited in their day-to-day activities, compared with 89% in 2001. The percentage who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 3.8% to 4.0%.

Across the region, Bradford saw the next largest increase in the proportion of people who aren't limited by a long-term health problem or disability (which remained close to 90%).

During this period, Sheffield overtook eight local authority areas, including Selby and Craven, to become the Yorkshire and The Humber local authority area with the ninth-highest percentage of people who aren't limited by a long-term health problem or disability.

The proportion of people who aren't limited by a long-term health problem or disability was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents that reported not being limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Ethnicity in Sheffield

The number of people in Sheffield from the White ethnic groups decreased from about 470,000 in 2001 to about 460,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 91% to 84% of the local population.

The percentage decreased by more than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber (from 93% to 89%) and the average across England (from 91% to 85%).

The number of people in Sheffield from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from just under 26,000 in 2001 to about 44,000 in 2011 (from 5.0% to 8.0%). The number of residents from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups increased from about 9,100 to just over 20,000 (from 1.8% to 3.6%).

About 13,000 people (1.6%) said they were from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed), up from just over 8,200 in 2001 (2.4%).

The population from the White ethnic groups in Sheffield decreased by 7.5 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Sheffield by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

More single people in Sheffield

Sheffield saw Yorkshire and The Humber's second-largest rise in the proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership.

In 2011, just over 4 in 10 (41%) people aged 16 and over in Sheffield said they were single, compared with 34% in 2001. The percentage that said they were married decreased from 48% to 42%.

Across the region, only Kingston upon Hull saw a greater rise in the proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership (from 34% to 42%).

Every local authority area across Yorkshire and The Humber saw a rise in the proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership, as the regional average grew from 29% to 34%.

The proportion of people who had never married or entered a civil partnership was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they were single across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Fall in social renting

The percentage of Sheffield households that rented through social housing schemes decreased from 30% to 25% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just under one in six (16%) households rented privately, compared with 8.5% in 2001. The percentage of Sheffield households that owned their home decreased from 60% to 58%.

The proportion of socially rented homes decreased faster here than in any other local authority district across Yorkshire and The Humber. As a result, this area had the region’s second highest proportion of socially rented homes.

Kingston upon Hull had Yorkshire and The Humber's highest proportion of socially rented homes (28%), while Wakefield had the region's third highest proportion (24%).

The rate of social housing in Sheffield decreased by 5.4 percentage points

Percentage of households in Sheffield, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that rented socially, March 2001 and March 2011

More students

Sheffield saw Yorkshire and The Humber's largest rise in the proportion of students.

In 2011, just under 1 in 18 (5.6%) people aged 16 to 74 in Sheffield said they were in education, compared with 3.3% in 2001. The percentage that were employed decreased from 49% to 48%.

Across the region, York saw the next largest increase in the proportion of students (from 3.9% in 2001 to 5.7% in 2011).

Every local authority area across Yorkshire and The Humber saw a rise in the proportion of students, as the regional average grew from 2.5% to 3.5%.

The percentage of students in Sheffield increased by 2.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Sheffield, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they were in education, March 2001 and March 2011

More people worked short hours

The percentage of employed people in Sheffield working less than 16 hours increased from 2.0% to 3.8% between the last two censuses.

In 2011, just under 1 in 13 (7.4%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, compared with 11% in 2001.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week increased faster here than anywhere else in Yorkshire and The Humber. As a result, this area had the region’s highest proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week in Sheffield increased by 1.8 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Sheffield, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they had worked less than 16 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Changes in family structure

Sheffield saw Yorkshire and The Humber's largest fall in the proportion of households with adult children living with their parents.

In 2011, just over 1 in 12 (8.6%) households in Sheffield had only adult children living with their parents, compared with 9.3% in 2001. The percentage with at least one child increased from 27% to 28%.

Across the region, York saw the next largest decrease in the proportion of households with adult children living with their parents (from 8.4% in 2001 to 8.0% in 2011).

The proportion of households with only adult children living with their parents was lower than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of households where a parent lived with their adult children across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Change in unpaid care

The percentage of Sheffield residents that provided between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 1.3% to 1.4% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just over 1 in 40 (2.6%) reported providing at least 50 hours of unpaid care each week, compared with 2.5% in 2001.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care decreased faster here than in any other local authority district across Yorkshire and The Humber. The improvement brought health in Sheffield close to the regional average 1.4% in Yorkshire and The Humber described their health as good in 2011).

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care in Sheffield remained close to 1.4%

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Sheffield by care, March 2001 and March 2011

Changing household dynamics

The percentage of households in Sheffield, which comprised one person, remained close to 32% in the decade to 2011.

In 2011, just under one in nine (11%) households had an unmarried couple, compared with 8.9% in 2001. The percentage of households in Sheffield which comprised a married couple (with or without children) decreased from 34% to 30%.

The proportion of one-person households increased here at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 30% in 2001 to 31% in 2011). Across England, the percentage remained close to 30%.

The percentage of households with only one person was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of households that comprised only one person across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

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